


Happy Tears

by solwie



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Baby, F/M, Family, Ministry of Magic, OC, Post-War, Probably ooc, Redeemed Draco Malfoy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-16
Updated: 2016-10-16
Packaged: 2018-08-22 20:42:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8300347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solwie/pseuds/solwie
Summary: Draco Malfoy is very happy with his life and reflects on how it became that way.





	

Draco held his newborn son in his arms. Looking down, he stared at his little face. He couldn’t believe that this small, awe-inspiring, perfect tiny human was his child. 

Draco Malfoy did not cry. He had needed to lock down his emotions soon after he had become a Death Eater in the war, and had never quite relearned how to outwardly express himself. After he had met his wife, he had softened. Lust had turned to passion and passion had turned to love, and it had only strengthened over the years. 

But what he felt for this child, his _son_. Before he never imagined just how overwhelming it would feel to love his child. The love felt both too much, just right, and downright terrifying. He would do anything for this small, wrinkly alien-like thing that he had only known for a number of hours. 

The baby stretched his little arms above his head, yawned wide, and briefly opened his squinty little eyes. The murky blue met his bright grey for a moment, then fluttered back close. He wondered what color his son’s eyes would end up being. Grey, like his? Maybe brown, like his mother’s. 

Draco finally tore his gaze away from the baby, and looked at his wife. Hermione was sleepily looking back with a look of content on her face, and gave a little smile. Draco was also in awe of his wife – she had managed to get through over 20 hours of labor. She had worked so hard to bring their son into the world. 

“Love, you need to get some sleep.” Draco said quietly. 

Hermione nodded. “Yes, but we need to name him first. What do you think he looks like?” 

He looked back down at the bundle in his arms. Draco had been pulling for the name Scorpius almost the entire pregnancy, but looking at him now it did not fit. Begrudgingly, he admitted to himself that Hermione’s favorite fit him more. 

“Orion. He is definitely an Orion.” Draco announced. 

Hermione beamed at him, and nodded. “Yes, I thought so too! Our little Orion. What about his middle name?” 

The tradition was to use the paternal grandfather’s middle name, but he couldn’t bear to name his precious child after his father. While they still occasionally spoke, the events of the war and the aftermath drove a wedge between them. After Draco had realized the error of his family’s perspective, he was bitter that it took him until he was nearly two decades old to abandon it. No, he could not bear to honor his father after everything that had happened. 

Smiling, he looked at Hermione. “Orion William, after your father.” She looked shocked, and then she began crying. 

Chuckling, Draco walked over to the cot and sat on the side next to her. “I didn’t mean to make you cry!” He steadied Orion in the crook of his arm, and gently wiped away her tears with his right hand. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s come over me! My hormones are all over the place, and it makes me so happy you want to name him after my dad.” Hermione gave a little laugh and snuggled into Draco’s side. 

She closed her eyes, and sighed happily. “Orion William Malfoy. Perfect.” 

He looked down at his wife, and smiled at the look of bliss on her face. Leaning down, he brushed a curl out of her face and tenderly kissed her forehead. Soon she was fast asleep.

Draco thought about what it took for him, for _them_ , to get to this moment. It was not an easy road, but it was extremely worth it. He thought back to during the war, to when he was surrounded by evil and death. He had been convinced he would not make it out alive. But here he was – so damn alive and so full of love. He wished he could go back and tell his past self – he would tell himself that many good days lay ahead. 

Though his past self would never believe he would be married to Hermione Granger. Smirking, Draco remembered how difficult it was after they had re-met after the war. She was a passionate ministry employee hell-bent on changing the world, and he was just trying to figure out who he was. 

_______________________________

At first Draco just wanted to repent. He didn’t want her forgiveness (nor did he feel like he deserved it), but he needed to apologize. He found her at the ministry one day, while she was speed walking down a hallway. He didn’t want to waste his chance (it’s not like you run into busy body Hermione Granger every day, you know), so he got her attention and began to recite the apology speech he had practiced. 

After realizing what he was doing, Hermione furrowed her brow. “Draco Malfoy, you need to stop right this instant. Don’t you dare _apologize_ to me.” She paused to shift around the small mountain of file folders in her arms. “A lot of fucked up things happened during the war. Apologizing to me, giving me these contrived words of apparent atonement, mean nothing. They only help _you_. You just want to sleep better at night. I don’t care about your words, Malfoy. I care about your actions. You want to make things right? Show me. Show the world. Now, I have somewhere to be, so bugger off.” 

She rushed away, leaving Draco speechless. He felt well and truly admonished, and he was fairly embarrassed about it. Years later, Hermione would bashfully admit that she had been terribly rude that day and was under a massive amount of stress, but Draco knew what she had said was true, and he needed to hear it. He took her words to heart, and he began to sincerely change himself – and to try and make the world a better place. He used what money he had to first help rebuild Hogwarts, also going himself to help fix the school. He tried to learn as much as he could about the muggle world, even renting a flat in a non-magical community and immersed himself in the culture he had once despised. He discovered he loved films, pizza, Chinese takeout, phones, ball point pens, Walkman’s, and a myriad of other muggle things. 

Eventually, Draco began an organization that was aimed to bring more muggle technology and culture into the wizarding community and foster a positive relationship between the wizarding and muggle cultures. It grew and grew to the point that he was noticed for his contributions to muggle relations, and was recruited by the minister himself to completely restructure the Muggle Liaison Office. While the relationship between wizards and muggles continued to be more one-sided due to the majority of muggles not knowing magic existed, the work that Draco had done begun to change the way wizards viewed muggles.

Over the years since Draco had begun his work with muggle relations, he had left Hermione Granger alone, but he still thought about her often. They would sometimes see each other at random while at the Ministry, but they never spoke. Hermione usually wouldn’t even notice him, but the few times she did she had looked at him with confusion. He didn’t blame her – after his past, he would also be wary of his work with muggles. 

It wasn’t until a Ministry gala that they finally spoke again. 

Draco was grabbing a cup of pumpkin juice from the refreshments table when he heard, “Malfoy.” He turned around and saw Hermione Granger, donning a stunning red dress. 

He nodded at her, and smirked slightly. “Granger.” 

She walked around him, reached for a cup and ladled in some pumpkin juice for herself. After taking a sip, she said, “I don’t usually see you at these events.” 

Nodding, he responded with a slight chuckle, “I don’t come often – it’s taken awhile for my mere presence to not make someone feel ill.”

Hermione laughed a little. “Ah, yes, that makes sense. Have you considered that it might possibly be the brightness of your hair? It’s almost like looking at the sun.”

Smirking, he quipped, “You are mistaken, that’s actually one of my best qualities along with my stunning good looks.” 

Hermione laughed, her smile crinkling her eyes. Draco’s heart sped up a little. 

“I’m glad to know you haven’t changed too much, Malfoy. Though I will admit I do like many of the changes that have happened over the years since we last spoke.” She took another sip of her pumpkin juice. 

“Yes, so do I.” He smiled at her. She smiled back. 

“Why don’t you come over and chat with Harry, Ron, and I for a bit? All of us would love to hear about the work you’ve been doing with muggle relations.”

Five years ago, he would have stabbed his eyes with forks rather than have a conversation with the ‘Golden Trio’. 

Instead he responded with, “I would love to, Granger.” And he meant it.

She smiled, pointed to where Harry and Ron were standing with their dates, and said, “We’re over there. And please, call me Hermione.” She started to walk over, and Draco couldn’t help but admire the back of her dress. 

Quietly he murmured, “Alright, Hermione.” He smiled and followed after her. 

_______________________________

Draco brushed his hand against Hermione’s cheek, and she burrowed further into his side. He took his hand back and held Orion with both his arms. He leaned down and kissed his forehead, and then held him tight to his chest. He looked around the room. The only sounds filling it were his wife’s soft snores and his son’s little coos. 

Draco felt warm, full of love, and so happy. For the first time since the war, his eyes filled with tears. He laughed quietly with a wide smile on his face and wiped his eyes.


End file.
